A 43-year-old woman was arrested Monday morning after allegedly hitting three cyclists with an SUV in Huntington Beach, killing one man and leaving the other two severely injured, according to police.
The crash happened around 6:47 a.m. near Pacific Coast Highway and Newland Street. Officers arrived to find three male cyclists lying on the roadway. One of the men was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Orange County Coroner identified the victim as 45-year-old Eric John Williams, a beloved pastor at a small Orange County church. “I’m devastated,” his friend Gil Dodson said. “He happened to be the person who married my wife and I. It breaks my heart.”
The two other cyclists were rushed to a local hospital with serious injuries.
Investigators say the driver, identified as Amber Kristine Calderon of Long Beach, was behind the wheel of a gold 2006 Mercedes E-Class. She allegedly struck the cyclists while they were in the bike lane and then continued driving for about half a mile before stopping.
Calderon was arrested on suspicion of DUI, felony hit-and-run, gross vehicular manslaughter, and possession of narcotics.
“She took his life, just like that in moments,” Dodson said of the victim. “The other two people are pillars of the community. They’re both conscious and I think the hospital scanned both of them for concussions and brain bleeds, and they’re OK on that.”
The National Weather Service reported fog along the Huntington Beach coast that morning, but police have not listed visibility as a contributing factor in the crash.
The investigation is ongoing, and no additional details have been released.
Amber, Amber, Amber what are we ever going to do with you??
How about some serious probation after all you only killed somebody and this IS America.
I have no sympathy for people who drink and drive or those who do distracted driving.They make a choice.Every decision has consequences